Iran threatens military attacks while US rules out extending temporary cease-fire

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Iran will shift to a “fully offensive” military ​posture because efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the war with the US have stalled, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, as Washington ruled out extending ‌a temporary cease-fire agreement.Outward progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, threatening to extend the conflict that the US and Israel launched with attacks on Iran on February 28.“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran would conduct a “timely and precise” military ​attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.A memorandum of understanding signed in June to end the war had given Iran and the US until Monday to reach a final ​peace agreement.Signed on June 17, the memorandum set a 60-day time frame for a broader deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and US sanctions.Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysisThe agreement, which declared ⁠the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts,” quickly unravelled over a dispute about control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied ​natural gas flowed before the war.Asked by reporters on Monday if the US was seeking to extend June’s interim agreement, US President Donald Trump said no.In one glimmer of diplomacy, media reports said ​Trump had opened back-channel discussions with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has become more powerful during the war and controls large parts of Iran’s armed forces and the economy.Axios, citing two sources with direct knowledge, reported that former Director ...